is seeing him in community with other artists. Whether he’s trading sky-grazing falsetto runs with R&B star Daniel Caesar on “Invincible” or springing across Pharrell’s puckish production on “Tamagotchi,” Apollo stays light on his feet and slides seamlessly from track to track. The roster of stars that join him are like-minded, forward-thinking alt-pop mavericks that make his collaborations that much more interesting: “Bad Life,” for example, is buffed up by background vocals from.
On the album closer “Mr. Neighbor,” it’s just Apollo and his guitar, his voice is strengthened by layered harmonies and vocal loops. It’s a technique he uses on the album’s self-titled “Ivory,” yet he lets his imagination take over, punctuating the production with a burning yowl, razored guitar riffs, and unexpected distortion. That song alone would have marked a bright evolution in his career. Here, it works as a final bow, one that comes after an impressive declaration of self.